Ape House by Sara Gruen

Book Review by Cos Barnes

An expert at writing about animals, Sara Gruen, author of “Water for Elephants,” has done it again with her new book, “Ape House.” Ever an advocate for animals, she brings the bonobos to life as they eat and cavort like humans and even master sign language.

Sam, Bonzi, Lola, Mbongo, Jelani and Makena are among Isabel Duncan’s charges as she goes about her duties as a scientist at the Great Ape Language Lab in Kansas City. She loves and understands them, as is evident to John Thigpen, a reporter from The Philadelphia Inquirer who takes to the animals immediately and appreciates Isabel’s knowledge and ability. However, as fate would have it, the day after John’s visit with the apes, accompanied by two other journalists, the lab is bombed by extremists and Isabel is seriously wounded. John is blackmailed by Cat, a fellow reporter who unethically steps in and takes the story away from him.

We learn more about John’s home life as we meet his extraordinarily good-looking wife, Amanda, also a writer whose one book has not been very well-received and whose second one has not yet been picked up by a publisher. A move to Los Angeles becomes necessary when Amanda is invited to work on a writing project; John has to settle for writing for an L.A. tabloid. Many other characters are involved: Peter, Isabel’s fiancee who proves to be as false as they come; Celia and her computer cohorts; the women partyers upstairs at the dreadful motel John is forced to frequent; a green-haired punk; and an unscrupulous television producer.

Isabel learns that her precious bonobos have been sold and moved to New Mexico. Later, she discovers them on a reality television show where they are using sign language to beg her to come and get them.

Gruen weaves an interesting tale; however, because I am a journalist, I was more intrigued with Thigpen’s writing career than I was with the exploits of the apes. Maybe I had read “Bonobo’s Handshake” by Vanessa Woods too recently.